On Tuesday, Meta introduced Muse Image, a new AI image generator developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs, the company’s specialized AI division. The functionality, which was internally referred to as Mango, is now accessible for free via the Meta AI app, as well as on Instagram Stories and WhatsApp.

Regrettably, the new model is already stirring up controversy.

What can you do with Muse? It appears that the use cases are akin to those of most other AI image generators — you will have the ability to create a multitude of whimsical, cartoon-like images, for example.

If you find yourself lacking inspiration and unable to create original prompts, Meta states that Muse offers “presets”— ready-made image prompts — to “inspire creativity.”

However, one particularly eyebrow-raising functionality enables users to alter another Instagram user’s images using AI, as long as that user’s profile is public. Users simply tag the person, allowing them to take their photo and utilize it to generate a new AI image.

One X user remarked after The Verge highlighted how potentially intrusive this is: “Incorporating real users into generated images without explicit consent is a privacy issue just waiting to explode.”

Meta’s policy indicates that “individuals may be able to produce content with your Instagram content using AI features at Meta” and that “you will not receive a notification regarding content created using AI features at Meta.”

Meta asserts that users “possess control” over this feature, emphasizing that there are settings available to prevent this type of appropriation of your images, should you choose to do so.

Muse also has other, less intrusive uses. One function is generating customized advertisements (AI has significantly entered the advertising space in the past year). Another is exploring ideas for interior decor — in a promotional video, a user utilizes Muse to envision how a secondhand couch could appear in their garage. This last feature is designed to connect with Facebook Marketplace, Meta’s popular platform for used furniture and accessories.

The model additionally offers prompt-based image editing, allowing users to create images to share among Meta’s apps and platforms.

“Request it to generate an image of you in front of a historical site, cleanly remove a photobomber from a background shot, or create a custom prompt to design a functioning QR code,” the company suggests.

Simultaneously, Meta is introducing various new AI effects for Instagram Stories, powered by Muse — notably, the same platform at the center of the photo-tagging debates mentioned earlier. These effects comprise customizable filters capable of altering existing photos.

Meta states that the use of the new AI model is free for “everyday creation,” although users will require a subscription plan upon surpassing a certain limit.

The company also indicated that Muse Video — presumably an AI video generator — is “currently under development.” TechCrunch has contacted Meta for additional details.

Over the past year, Meta has launched a variety of AI applications and services, including an AI assistant named Creator and Pocket, an application that can be used to vibe-code video games. The company has faced accusations of possessing an unclear AI strategy, even as it continues to plan significant investments in AI infrastructure this year as it expands its offerings.

Meta’s record on privacy contributes to users’ apprehension regarding Muse. The company previously paid a then-record $5 billion penalty to the FTC in 2019, after regulators discovered that the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica had improperly harvested data from millions of Facebook users — without their awareness — to create voter-targeting profiles before the 2016 U.S. election. Facebook had been aware of the data misuse for years prior to its public revelation.

Separately, the company discontinued Facebook’s facial-recognition system in 2021 — a tool that automatically recognized individuals in images and videos — amid lawsuits and regulatory pressure concerning its acquisition of biometric data. Essentially, Muse’s photo-tagging functionality, which is opt-out by default, aligns with a pattern highlighted by users and regulators: widespread use of individuals’ data unless they actively deactivate it.